# Date: 1915-06

V. I. LENIN — K. RADEK
2706Ya
[End of June 1915. Zörenberg.]

*Dear Comrade!

Our letters have evidently crossed paths. At the same time that you were writing to me, I was writing to you (a postcard), sending the Collection.1 I hope you received it?

Regarding the conference of the Left:

I have not been a member of the I.S.B. since 1912 (from the C.C., the member of the I.S.B. is Maximovich,2 in London, since 1912). But of course, in the name of the C.C., Grigory3 and I will do here everything necessary that may be required.

You write that "Grimm macht das (= circumventing the C.C.?) ohne Absicht"...**

Hmm, hmm! Es scheint mir wenig glaubbaft zu sein. Ist Grimm wirklich ein Kind? Nach zwei Konferenzen in Bern???***

But of course you in Bern have a better view of it, and I would be pleased if it turned out that I am mistaken and you are right.

So, if Grimm macht das ohne Absicht, then the matter is simple: Grimm must write to the C.C. (the official address is printed on our C.O. = Bibliothèque russe, 7, Rue Hugo de Senger, 7, Genève, Für das Kom. Central).

(Of course, it's also possible through my address; that would be more direct).

By not doing this, Grimm will act dishonestly (for writing to London to Maximovich means wasting time and risking the letter's failure: the police will intercept it!).

And it would be improper for us to solicit: we do not wish to thrust ourselves upon anyone. We cannot do this!

Now as to substance. You write: "Da wird Grimm u[nd] vielleicht (?? sicher meinesj Efrachtensj!) auch anderc die Sache so abwechseln (nur? richtiger: zertreten u[nd] vcrralen!) wollen, dass nur ein Aktionsprogramm (soli heissen: Ermaltungsprogramm, программа отказа от борьбы, программа отваживания рабочих от революции, программа успокоения рабочих левыми Фразами) fiir die Stundc konimt".*

My view is that the "turn" of Kautsky and Bernstein and Haase (—[— 500 + 1000 — ? ?) is a turn of excrement (= Dreck), which has sensed that the masses will no longer tolerate it, that it is "necessary" to turn leftward in order to continue deceiving the masses.*1

This is clear.

And Renaudel in "L'Humanité" is "turning left"!!

The excrement-mongers will gather, will say that they are "against the politics of August 4th," that they are "for peace," "against annexations" and ... and ... thereby help the bourgeoisie to extinguish the incipient revolutionary mood.

From your letter I conclude that you think the same way.

Ergo,** our program must be:

1) to go, if called upon.

2) to unite in advance the "Left," i.e., the adherents of revolutionary and [i o i o n n y x] actions against their own government.

3) to present to the Kautskyite excrement-mongers our draft resolution (the Dutch7 + us + the Left Germans — 0, and that is not trouble, but later there will be not zero, but everything!).

4) to put forward 2–3 speakers at the conference (if you manage to ensure that you will be [represented], then this is possible).

Cannot we gather several German leftists against Kautsky and Co? for a similar program?

Write what you think about this program. Its essence = against the stupid and traitorous slogan of peace.

Come! Your Lenin

Is it not clear that O.K. will be with Drehscheibe-Kautsky & Co???***4?

Are you certain that Grey + Bethmann-Hollweg did not "nod" to Südekum and Vandervelde: it's time, fellows, for peace, or else there will be revolution???

P. S. We have in our hotel (Hotel Maricntal) a t e l e p h o n e (No. 111). If something is urgent, call — from 8–12 in the morning we are always at home.

P.P.S. Please forward the enclosed, after reading it.

1 What collection is being referred to has not been established.

2 Maximovich — M. Litvinov.

3 Grigory — G. Zinoviev.

4 From this it is evident that R. Grimm, organizer of the Zimmerwald Conference, wished to conduct preparations for convening the conference without involving the Bolsheviks in this matter. After some time, however, he abandoned this intention, and a Bolshevik representative participated in the preliminary meeting for convening the conference (see p. 161 of this collection).

5 Two conferences in Bern: 1) the International Women's Socialist Conference, which took place March 26–28, 1915 (see Works of Lenin, Vol. XVIII, note 135, p. 439); 2) the International Socialist Conference of Youth, which took place April 5–6, 1915 (see ibid., note 152, p. 442).

6 On June 20, 1915, Kautsky, Bernstein, and Haase issued a "manifesto" in which they spoke out for peace, condemned annexations, and called for preserving unity with social-chauvinists.

7 Referred to are the "tribunists" — A. Pannekoek, G. Gorter, D. Wijnkoop.